Brush with rotatable base

ABSTRACT

Improved brush with a main body and a selectively rotatable bristle-bearing base on the body. The brush is of the type having at least a predominant part of its bristles inclined in the same direction and is adapted for cleaning purposes. The brush of the invention employs a fabric to carry the bristles, the fabric preferably being backed by a resilient pad. The invention provides improved means for securing the fabric to the base of the brush, improved means for rotatably mounting the base of the brush on the brush body whereby the brush base can be turned by manipulations above the brush body, and means for indicating from above the body of the brush the position of the brush base relative thereto.

United States Patent Krusche et a1.

BRUSH WITH ROTATABLE BASE inventors: Kurt Krusche, Frankfurt/Main;

Hubert Zimmermann, Mannheim, both of Germany Allstar VerbrauchsguterGmbki, Frankfurt/Main, Germany Filed: Aug. 23, 1971 App]. No.: 174,208

' Related US. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 31,670, April 24,1970, Pat. No. 3,619,846

[73] Assignee:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data May 10, 1969 Germany G 69 19050.7

[52] US. Cl 15/231, 15/159 A, 24/113 [51] Int. Cl. A461) 9/10, A47113/46 [58] Field of Search l5/231, 232, 233; 51/391-393; 24/92, 113 R;132/764, 76.5; 401/207 337,349 5/1959 Switzerland 24/113 R 259,076 6/1949 Switzerland 15/231 890,363 11/1943 France 24/113 R PrimaryExaminer-Daniel Blum AttorneyArthur O. Klein [57] ABSTRACT Improvedbrush with a main body and a selectively rotatable bristle-bearing baseon the body. The brush is of the type having at least a predominant partof its bristles inclined in the same direction and is adapted forcleaning purposes. The brush of the invention employs a fabric to carrythe bristles, the fabric preferably being backed by a resilient pad. Theinvention provides improved means for securing the fabric to the base ofthe brush, improved means for rotatably mounting the base of the brushon the brush body whereby the brush base can be turned by manipulationsabove the brush body, and means for indicating from above the body ofthe brush the position of the brush base relative thereto.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures I PATENIEU AUG 1 4 975 sum 1 or 2 FIG. IA

mmvron= KURT KRUSC H E W ME RMAN ATTORN Y PATENTE AUG v M975 sum 2 or 2m at i n a I Q :14

INVENTORS= ar KRuscHE BY HUBERT ZIMMERMANN ATTORNEY BRUSH wmr ROTATABLEBASE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is a divisionalapplication of US. patent application Ser. No. 31,670 filed on Apr. 24,1970, now US. Pat. No. 3,619,846.

This invention relates to a brush having a body and a bristle-carryingbase rotatable thereon. The bristlecarrying base is directional in itsoperation as by having all, or a predominant part of the bristlesinclined in the same direction.

When using a brush element formed of inclined bristles for cleaningpurposes, it is necessary for the brushing strokes to be always in thesame direction. Brushes of this kind permit particles of dust, hair andany kind of fluff to be readily and completely removed, since particleswhich adhere firmly to a support are swept into the spaces betweenbristles. An essential feature is that the brush is always drawn in thesame direction over the surface to be cleaned. When the brush is movedin the opposite direction, the particles of dirt retained in the spacesbetween the bristles are released and drop out. Since, however, it isfrequently necessary to change the brush from one hand to the other, itis difficult, especially in brushes with handles, for the user quicklyto find the correct direction of stroke. Therefore it is necessary toensure that when changing hands, the direction of brushing also changes.To eliminate this inconvenience, it is expedient for the base supportingthe brush element to be made rotatable, so that the brush, withoutdisadvantage, may be moved constantly in the same direction whenchanging over hands.

It is an object of the invention to provide a brush with a rotatablebase, the individual parts of which are so integrally formed that theymay be assembled without screws or any additional fixing means in asimple and economical manner; the brush is especially easy to manipulateand adjust to the required direction of brushing.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provideda brush having a rotatable base held in position by a spiral spring. Thebrush elements are embedded in a flat, flexible carrier part, such asafabric or the like, or mounted thereon, and the flat carrier, preferablypadded by a'flexible material, is inserted in a solid part preferablymade of plastic material. The padded brush element is retained by a flatframe on a base plate which is provided with a centrally arrangedupwardly extending hollow two-part sleeve which a bolt with a knobengages positively. The upper part of the brush hasa bore which iscoaxial'with the bore in the sleeve into which the head of the boltslides; the spiral spring is placed around the periphery of the uppersleeve part, with one end abutting the underside of the knob and theother end against a stop connected to the upper part of the brush.

The brush of the invention is described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of the brush;

FIG. 1A is a fragmentary view in section on an enlarged scale, of aportion of the brush element per se;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section through the brushof FIG. 1 showing a crosssectional view of the upper sleeve section ofthe base plate;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the rear or spine of the brush; and

FIG. 4 is a view in transverse section through the second, inner sleevesection which is integral with the base plate of the brush, the sectionbeing taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

The brush, apart from the pad P and the brush element B, consists offour individual parts, which are all so formed that they can beassembled without additional fastening means such as screws, pins or thelike. These four parts are preferably made of plastic material and areassembled in a very simple manner. A base plate 1 with a pad P and abrush element B clamped firmly by a frame 13 forms the base of the brushwhich is rotatable about a center with respect to the upper part 10 andhandle 16 of the brush. The brush element B is made up ofa fabric 20FIG. IA which carries a plurality of short bristles 2ll inclined in thesame direction.

The peripheral edge 1' of the base plate l is bent upwards and inclinedinwardly and provided with teeth at its edge la. The edge portion of thebrush element B projecting beyond the plastic foam padding P is placedover these teeth, so that it is retained at this point from below.

A flat frame 13 about the circumference of which a defining ledge 14extends substantially vertically relative to the frame 13 is placed onthe upper surface of the base plate 1. Substantially in the centerbetween the outer and inner edge of the frame plate 13 there is anencircling rib 13a having a pointed tooth edge, the serrations of whichafter placing the frame 13 in position are firmly impressed in the edgeportion of the brush element B,,which is folded over against the surfaceof the base plate 1. The toothed ledge 13a on the underside of the frameplate 13 is so located that, when the frame is mounted, it assumes aposition behind the serrated edge Ia on the periphery of the baseplate 1. In this way the brush element B is retained firmly in positionby the oppositely acting rows of serrations la and 13a. The frame 13 isretained on the. base plate 1 by barbs 15 formed of the material of thesurface of this base plate, which barbs engage over the rim edge 13' onthe inside circumference of the fiat frame plate 13.

The base plate 1 has a central bore 2, an upstanding central sleeve 3, 4with the lower portion 3 of the sleeve having a greater diameter thanportion 4. The height of the sleeve 3, 4 corresponds substantially withthe inter nal height of the brush handle body. The lower section 3 ofthe sleeve is defined by an inwardly projecting flange 3, which alsoforms a shoulder from which the second sleeve section 4 proceeds. Thebore 2 of the lower sleeve section 3 may be of any desired size and ispreferably cylindrical. The bore in the upper section 4 of the sleeveserves to receive and to retain a retaining member in the form of a boltprovided with a knob. It may, for example, be a tapped bore into whichthe bolt is screwed. An embodiment particularly convenient forproduction is shown in FIG. 4 of the drawing. Herein the axial bore 5provided in the upper sleeve section 4 is square, the edges beingchamfered. Level with flange 3', at the transition between the lower andupper sleeve section 3 and 4, the passage between the bores 2 and 5 istapered to form the rectangular bore cross-section. The two oppositesides 4' of the square bore are beveled level with flange 3 andterminate in oppositely directed pointed edges 40, which simultaneouslyform the long sides of the rectangular passage.

A bolt 6 provided with a knob 7 is inserted in this square bore 5 in theupper sleeve section 4. The crosssection of the bolt 6 corresponds tothe cross-section of the square bore in the upper sleeve section 4 ofthe base plate 1. This bolt 6 is provided with a slit 8 extendingvertically upwards from the free lower end. This slit 8 impartsresilience to the thus formed bolt sections. The side surfaces of thebolt 6 opposite the slit 8 taper in their lower section and eachterminate in a point 60 which is formed like a barb. When inserting thebolt 6 in the square bore 5 of the upper sleeve section 4, the barbs 6aslide along the slope 4 of the long sides of the rectangular passage.The bolt ends are pressed together at the slit 8. As soon as the boltpoints 60 have slid past the points 4a at the end of the slope 4', theyspring apart and return to their original position. The upper surfacesof the barb points 60 engage with the underside of the flange 3'. Inthis position the underside of the knob 7 of the bolt 6 rests on theupper edge of the upper sleeve section 4.

Around the circumference of the upper sleeve section 4 there is a spiralspring 9 which at its upper end abuts against the underside of the knob7 and at its lower end abuts against the upper surface of a flange llfacing radially inwards of a sleeve 11 projecting downwards from theupper brush section 10.

The upper brush section has a circular bore 12 flush with the bore 2, 5in the sleeve section 3, 4 the diameter of the bore being somewhatlarger than the diameter of the knob 7 of the bolt 6, so that this knobis able to slide in the bore. From this bore 12 into the interior of theupper brush portion 10 there extends a cylindrical sleeve 11, at thelower end of which is the radially inwardly facing flange ll'. Theunderside of this flange ll rests on the upper surface of the shoulder3' formed by the two sleeve sections 3 and 4 of the base plate 1, whilstthe upper surface of this flange 11' carries the lower end of the spiralspring 9. When the brush is assembled, the dimensions of the individualparts of the brush are such that the knob 7 of the bolt 6 projectssomewhat beyond the outer surface of the upper brush portion 10.

On assembly of the brush, the brush element B is first placed with theunderlaid plastic foam padding P around the upwardly pointing teeth laon the outer circumference of the base plate I. Then the frame 13 isplaced from above thereon and firmly pressed against the barbs 15 in thebase plate 1, so that these barbs snap over the inside edge of the frameplate 13. The teeth 130 are thus firmly pressed on the underside of theframe plate 13 into the edge section of the brush element B. This edgesection of the brush element is urged vertically upwards by theperipheral teeth la of the base plate and vertically downwards by thetoothed ledge l3a'engaging behind these peripheral teeth. The peripheralteeth la thus abut against the underside of the frame plate 13, whilstthe toothed ledge 13a abuts against the upper surface of the brushelement B. The unit so assembled forms the rotatable base of the brush.

On this brush base the upper brush part with the bore 12 and the sleeve11 is slid over the upper part 4 of the sleeve 3, 4 proceeding from thebase plate, and finally the bolt 6 and the spiral spring 9 are inserted,the brush being thus completed. The upper brush part 10 is retained inposition by the spring 9 and the shoulder 3' between the sleeve sections2, 3. The lower edge of the side walls 10' of the upper part 10 engagethe upper surface of the flat frame plate 13 which is fast to the baseplate 1. The square bolt 6 with barbed tips 60 establishes a positiveconnection with the base plate 1 supporting the brush element 8 suchthat when the base plate 1 is turned, the bolt 6 and the knob 7 are alsorotated. To rotate base plate 1, the knob 7 is depressed against theforce of the spring 9, the frame plate 13 of the base of the brush beingthus thrust away from the edge of wall 10' of the upper brush part 10.Base plate 1 may now be turned relative to the upper part 10 of thebrush. On release of the knob, the spring 9 returns into its originalposition and pulls the base against the free edge of the side walls 10'of the upper brush part 10, and the knob 7 appears again above thesurface of the back of the brush. This knob 7 renders manipulation andoperation of the brush extremely simple. Since it rotates with the brushbase, a direction arrow 17 arranged on the surface of the knob 7immediately allows the required direction of brushing to be ascertained.This is particularly important in handle brushes having bristlesinclined in one direction, since due to the brush being changed from onehand to the other, a change of direction of the slope of the bristles ofthe brush element is necessitated. The readily visible arrow 17immediately shows the user whether he is holding the brush correctly, orwhether the brush element will operate in the direction shown. The brushmay be used while the brush base is being rotated.

The base outline of the brush is optional, an oval or circular formbeing preferable. The connection between knob and brush base may beeffected in a number of other manners. The embodiment shown anddescribed is preferred for manufacturing reasons. Where parts are, forclarity and convenience, referred to on the basis of their orientedposition shown in the accompanying drawing, no limitation as topositioning of the entire structure is to be implied, since it will beunderstood that the entire structure may be inverted or that it may beused in any inclined position.

Although the invention is illustrated and described with reference toone preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that it is inno way limited to the disclosure of such a preferred embodiment but iscapable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

l. A brush head assembly having a base plate and a bristlecarrying sheetunderlying the base plate and secured at its peripheral edge to the baseplate, improved sheet securing means, comprising in combination,

an upstanding first flange on the periphery of the base plate over theupper edge of which the peripheral portion of the sheet is bent so thatthe edge portion of the sheet overlies the base plate radially inwardlyof the upstanding flange,

a flat frame plate having an external configuration generally similar tothat of the base plate and having a first depending flange extendingaround the outer edge portion of the base plate,

a second depending flange on the flat frame plate inwardly of the outeredge portion, said second flange having a lower edge portion whichgrippingly engages the portion of the sheet overlying the base platewhen the flat frame and base plate are operatively connected to eachother,

interlocking formations confrontingly respectively mounted on the baseplate and the frame plate for retaining the frame plate in operativesheetgripping position upon the base plate, said interrated.

3. The improved sheet securing means according to claim 1, comprising aresilient pad interposed between the base plate and the bristle-carryingsheet, said pad holding the sheet taut.

4. The improved sheet securing means according to claim 1, wherein thetelescoping portions of the base plate and frame plate lie radiallyinwardly of the second depending, sheet-engaging flange on the frameplate.

1. A brush head assembly having a base plate and a bristlecarrying sheetunderlying the base plate and secured at its peripheral edge to the baseplate, improved sheet securing means, comprising in combination, anupstanding first flange on the periphery of the base plate over theupper edge of which the peripheral portion of the sheet is bent so thatthe edge portion of the sheet overlies the base plate radially inwardlyof the upstanding flange, a flat frame plate having an externalconfiguration generally similar to that of the base plate and having afirst depending flange extending around the outer edge portion of thebase plate, a second depending flange on the flat frame plate inwardlyof the outer edge portion, said second flange having a lower edgeportion which grippingly engages the portion of the sheet overlying thebase plate when the flat frame and base plate are operatively connectedto each other, interlocking formations confrontingly respectivelymounted on the base plate and the frame plate for retaining the frameplate in operative sheet-gripping position upon the base plate, saidinterlocking formations comprising telescoping portions on the baseplate and on the frame plate having interfitting confronting means onsaid telescoping portions which snap past each other into Lockingengagement when the frame and base plate are advanced relatively towardeach other to be operatively mutually connected to each other.
 2. Theimproved sheet securing means according to claim 1, wherein the upperedge of the first flange and the lower edge of the second dependingflange are serrated.
 3. The improved sheet securing means according toclaim 1, comprising a resilient pad interposed between the base plateand the bristle-carrying sheet, said pad holding the sheet taut.
 4. Theimproved sheet securing means according to claim 1, wherein thetelescoping portions of the base plate and frame plate lie radiallyinwardly of the second depending, sheet-engaging flange on the frameplate.